Wichita eagle., 1887-07-05

constantly persists in each and all OF M.
He waited there, at the corner of that
farm yard, for that mysterious aid we ara
always expecting to receive either from
heaven or from men, without asking how
or why or by whom it is to come. A troop
of black chickens came by. seeking their
pourishment IL that earth which nourishes
all creatures. At every second they pecked
at a grain or some invisible insect, and
continued their slow, sure search.
Cloche looked at them without thinking
of ANYTHING; then he got-rather into his
stomach than into his head-the idea. or
rather the sensation, that one of those
things would be good to eat roasted over a
brushWood fire.
No suspicion that he was about to COM
NIT a theft ever once occurred to him. He
seized a stone within reach of his hand.
and as he was skillful thrower he killed
at once with his stone the nearest chicken.
The rest ran away, swaying on their
thin legs; and Cloche, climbing up on his
crutches, again began to hobble after his
game, with motions precisely like those Of
the chickens.
But just as he came up TO where the
little black body lay, with its head all
blood stained, he received terrible shove
in the back which obliged him to let go
his crutches, and which sent him rolling
on his face ten yards away. And Maitre
Chiquet, thoroughly exasperated, rushed
on the marauder, beat him furiously,
striking like madman-as a robbed
peasant always strikes-thumping with
fist and knees all the body of the cripple,
who was utterly powerless to defend him
self
The field hands ran up and took turn
In helping the master to beat the beggar.
Then, when they had all beaten and
kicked him until they were tired, they
lifted him up and carried him to the wood
house, and locked him up there, and sent
for the police.
Cloche, bleeding and half dead with
hunger, remained upon the ground. Even
ing came, then night, then morning. All
this time he had not had anything to eat
About noon the police came, and opened
the door Of the wood house with all DOS
sible precaution, for they expected resist
ance, as Maitre Chiquet had told them the
beggar had made a violent attack upon
him, and that he had only been able to
defend himself with extreme difficulty.
One of the gendarmes cried:
Here, yOui-get up out of that,'
But Cloche could not move himself. He
tried to hoist his body once more on his
stills and failed. They thought it was all
feint, trick, one of the regular lodges
practiced by thieves; and the two armed
men, Selling him violently, lifted him
upon his clutches by main force.
His old fear had come upon him-the
hereditary fear of the polceman's yellow
sword belt-like the fear of the game in
the presence Of the hunter, the natural
fear of the mouse before the cat. And by
superhuman effort he managed to re-
main erect.
s'Marchr shouted the officer. And he
| hobbled along. All the farm people assem-
| bled to watch him going. The women
shook their fist at him; the men jeered and
swore at him. He was caught at last
anyhow Good radiance,
And he passed away, between his two
captors. He found desperate energy enough
to keep on dragging himself along until
evening, being too stupefied even to know
| what had happened to him, too terrified
| to understand anything.
| People passing on the road stopped tC
| look at him go by; and the peasants NUT
| tered:
''Must be some rObber."
Toward night they arrived at the chef
lieu of the canton. He had never beer
that far before. He really had no idea
| what had happened, nor what was going
to happen. All these terrible and unex
pectel things, new houses, strange faces
absolutely terrified him out of his wits.
| He never uttered a single word, having
nothing, indeed, to say; for he had ceased
TO be able to understand anything Be
sides, during all the years that he haG
never talked with any one, he had grad
ually lost the use of his tongue through
want of habit; and whatever thoughts hs
had left would have been Of too confused
q sort to lie expressed in words.
| He was locked up in the village jail. Il
never occurred to the policemen that ht
might need something to eat; and they LEFT
| him there until next day.
But they found him lying dead on the
| floor when they went TO question him
| early in the morning. How surprised they
were.-Guy de Maupassant-Translatet
| for Times Democrat.